Every year hundreds of bills, resolutions and ordinances come to the Alabama Legislature from county commissions.

Despite the fact that most legislators are unfamiliar with a large portion of the local bills — their consituents’ requests are likely the only familiar ones — the legislators have the final say.

During the early days of our country, an argument raged about state’s rights — How much power should a state be able to enforce? Perhaps an argument about county rights is equally important.

An example of the effect that the arduous, drawn out process has on our county is Sheriff Harris Huffman’s salary. Currently, Huffman receives several thousand less annually than nearby sheriffs, who oversee less-populated counties. In order to raise his pay to an appropriate level, a resolution must be passed in the legislature, according to Dallas County Probate Judge Kim Ballard.

Other simple laws, such as noise ordiances also have to be passed in the legislature.

Shouldn’t our congressmen and senators have more important matters to worry about than if the music is too loud on Dallas County roads?

Perhaps the local laws don’t take up a significant amount of the legislature’s time, but our representatives could certainly be more productive with less local laws populating the agenda.

One solution is home rule, which would give the county commission a significant amount of power. The commission could increase taxes and enact as many ordiances as it wanted, similar to the city council.

One concern is that the county commission would abuse the power. Suddenly we could wake up and find ourselves paying a 20 percent sales tax rate. Or, wake up and find that Auburn flags and porch decorations are outlawed. On second thought, that might not be such a bad idea.

Jokes aside, the Dallas County Commission is unlikely to take such extreme measures with newfound power. The current crew of county commissioners have a history of making smart, responsible decisions.

Unfortunately, the legislature is unlikely to relent its power over counties.

Perhaps a comprimise can be made. Instead of relenting all powers over counties, the legislature could allow commissions the freedom to pass benign ordiances at will.

Regardless of whether it’s complete home rule or a small set of bestowed powers, the county commission could do a better job with more authority. If an issue arises in the county or a tax shortage causes budgetary problems, a solution would come much more quickly.

In future years, abusing power could become an issue as elections choose new county commissioners, but are our legislators significantly more responsible?

It’s better to leave the power to someone who spends every waking moment of his or her day in the community he or she governs than an aloof, elected official who only returns when the legislature is out of session.